Ellen R. Kubit, MPA – Campaign Manager for Matthew Ahn for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor

Dear Colleagues:

In Ohio, it’s a big year for ballot measures. A month ago, voters rejected, by a 57% to 43% margin, August’s Issue 1. Issue 1 would have amended the state constitution to fundamentally change how direct democracy works in this state, making it far more difficult either to use voter initiative to put constitutional amendments on the ballot or to pass those measures. But everybody knew that it’s immediate purpose was to help defeat November’s Issue 1, which would add to the constitution a new section titled, “The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety.”

It was easy and common to conclude that the first Issue 1’s defeat meant the second is likely to get the plurality it will need, especially as it suggests that pro-choice voters will be especially motivated to turnout to the polls. Since Roe v. Wade was reversed, states have rejected the anti-abortion position in all seven statewide elections, either rejecting restrictions or strengthening rights. But it may not be so simple. First, the August vote legitimately had another dimension, the question of “majority rule,” which could sway voters who did not care as much about abortion and other reproduction issues. Thus it was opposed, for example, by Republican former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Maureen O’Connor. Second, November turnout will surely be larger than in August. Third, the Ohio Ballot Board has drafted the ballot language to highlight threats to “the unborn child” and not mention aspects such as protection of contraception and fertility care. Any voter who does not walk in having made their decision – and there will be some even if not a lot – will get a biased view of the issue (the advocates just wanted to use the amendment text).

Hence we know Issue 1 will be a battle royal, but don’t know how it will turn out. For the August vote, more than $15 million had been raised by supporters and more than $16 million by opponents as of the campaign finance reports of July 19. For November, each side had raised over $10 million by the end of June. Expect lots and lots of advertisements, some of which will not be evidently related to the text of the amendment.

Which brings us to the complication of Issue 2. Issue 2 would legalize recreational use of Marijuana, by explicitly regulating it much like alcohol. One of its leading advocates is Congressman Dave Joyce, who emphasizes that it allows local communities to ban use if they choose (Rep. Joyce is quoted in the Ballotpedia summary). That same summary reported that three different opinion polls showed Ohio voters favoring marijuana legalization, the support side had raised and spent over $4 million, and the opposition had reported no fundraising.

Where then is the doubt? Well, in August of 2015 another legalization effort got crushed, by nearly 65 to 35%, even though it also had much more visible financing and the polls predicted a close vote. That Issue 3 had a lot of extra baggage because it setup a limited set of sellers, and could (rightly) be attacked as creating monopolies. That in turn meant even some legalization supporters were unhappy. But the difference between polls and results eight years ago suggests uncertainty about the balance this November. Doug Berman, who directs Ohio State’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, has said that, “we’re getting closer but we may still be a long way off.” Moreover, some observers suggest the marijuana measure will be extra motivation for conservatives to turn out, motivation that did not exist in August and so might strengthen the “pro-life” side on Issue 1.

What will happen? Nobody knows, but it definitely deserves discussion. To lead that I am very glad to welcome Ellen Kubit, one of our best political science students from a decade ago, who has been laboring in the vineyards of nonprofit and political action and heavily involved in the two Issue 1 campaigns. This election above all is about turnout and so organizing, and the organizing perspective is the right place to start.

In-Person and Virtual Attendance

In order to make it easy for people to protect themselves and still participate, the meetings can be attended on Zoom. Participants can register for each meeting in the same way they did for the past two years. The link is posted below.

The discussion begins at 12:30 p.m., but the room should be open no later than Noon. We try to have beverages and refreshments set up soon after that. Participants should be able to sign on to Zoom also by Noon. But please remember not much will be happening online until the talk begins at 12:30 pm. Please also be prepared to show identification when entering Kelvin Smith Library.

Zoom participants should speak up when asked for questions or comments, or submit thoughts through Zoom’s chat function. Please keep yourself muted until you are choosing to speak.

Each week we will send out this newsletter with information about the topic. It will also include a link to register (for free) for the discussion. When you register, you will automatically receive from the Zoom system the link to join the meeting. If you do not get the newsletter, you should also be able to get the information each Monday by checking http://fridaylunch.case.edu Then if you choose you can use the contact form on that website to request the registration link.

This week’s Zoom link for registration is:

https://cwru.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUldOuhpj0rGtKI6ppdoukC9Wigo8sx12nG

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please also e-mail padg@case.edu if you have questions about arrangements or any suggestions. Or call at 216 368-2426 and we’ll try to get back to you. We are very pleased to be partnering this semester with the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program to share information about the discussions.

Best wishes for safety and security for you and yours,

Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies

About Our Guest

Ellen Kubit is a lifelong Northeast Ohioan. She received her Bachelors from Case Western Reserve University in 2014, majoring in political science and English, and recently finished her Masters in Public Administration from CSU’s Levin College of Urban Affairs. She has worked at a variety of local nonprofits, working in community outreach and fundraising database management, including serving on the fundraising committee for Preterm, helping open a local art gallery, and currently serves on the board of Spice Field Kitchen. In 2022, she was elected to the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party’s Central Committee for Cleveland Ward 3 Precinct B and recently led the Party’s reproductive freedom ballot initiative drive. She currently works as the campaign manager for Matthew Ahn for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor. She loves to read, loves music, and all things potato.

* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.

Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

September 15: Should Hard Drugs Be Decriminalized? With Michael W. Clune, Ph.D., Samuel B. and Virginia C. Knight Professor of the Humanities, Department of English, and Lee Hoffer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anthropology and Professor of Psychiatry.

September 22: Forty Years of AIDS Research and Care. With Michael M. Lederman, MD, LSMFT, Scott R. Inkley Emeritus Professor of Medicine.

September 29: Why Not to Panic About A.I. With Kalle Lyytinen, Ph.D., Iris S. Wolstein Professor of Management Design. Alternate Room: Mather House 100

October 6: COVID-’23 and Beyond. With David H. Canaday, MD, Professor of Infectious Disease and Associate Director of Research for the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Cleveland VA.

October 13: To Be Determined. Alternate Room: Mather House 100

October 20: One Semester Away from Crisis: Small Colleges and American Higher Education. With Tom Bogart, Ph.D., Visiting Professor and Chair, Department of Economics. Alternate Room: Mather House 100

October 27: Storefronts, Communities, and the Changing World of Retail. With Michael Goldberg, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Design and Innovation; Executive Director and Associate Vice President, Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship.

November 3: Dobbs and Doctors. With David N. Hackney MD, Division Director, Maternal Fetal Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland.

November 10: Who’s Legally Responsible When “Self-Driving” Cars Go “Eyes Off?” With Cassandra Burke Robertson, JD, John Deaver Drinko – BakerHostetler Professor of Law.

November 17: To Be Determined.

November 24: Thanksgiving Break

December 1: Civil-Military Relations in Egypt. With Dina Rashed, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the College for Academic Affairs, University of Chicago.

December 8: To Be Determined.